Scottish Executive

Agriculture

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure the fair imposition of cross-compliance measures in respect of the Single Farm Payment Scheme.

Ross Finnie: The Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC) measures of cross-compliance have been developed with stakeholders to reflect the wide variability of Scottish conditions and I will in due course announce a cost effective multi-purpose inspection regime for cross-compliance measures.

  In cases where cross-compliance is not complied with, payments made to the farmer can either be reduced or completely removed. The regime also allows, however, in some circumstances, for farmers not to be penalised for very minor or technical infringements. As with current agricultural schemes there will be a fair and transparent appeals procedure for farmers who incur penalties in respect of the Single Farm Payment.

Archives

Murray Tosh (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish a consultation paper on a new public records strategy and whether it will legislate in this session to make statutory provision for effective record-keeping by public bodies and to provide for effective audit of local archive policies and practices.

Tavish Scott: I refer the member to question S2W-3740 answered on 30 October 2003, in which I announced that the Scottish Executive is developing a Scottish Public Records Strategy looking at these issues, amongst others, and that there would be a formal consultation exercise in 2004. Work on the consultation paper is progressing and we are aiming to publish it within the next couple of months. I cannot give a commitment to legislate at this stage, as this will depend on a suitable legislative opportunity arising in the Parliament.

Biodiversity

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice or guidance is available to local authorities and other public bodies on the integration of biodiversity conservation into their consideration of best value policies and what steps it has taken to promote such advice.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive recognises that public bodies have a key role to play in safeguarding and conserving Scotland’s biodiversity.   The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 will give all public bodies in Scotland a duty to further the conservation of biodiversity as they carry out their functions, and the Executive is currently working with public bodies to develop guidance on effective implementation of this duty. The Scottish Biodiversity Forum, of which the Executive is a member, has recently published guidance for public bodies on the integration of biodiversity conservation into their Best Value policies entitled Best Value and Biodiversity in Scotland . The forum has distributed this guidance widely among public bodies, and it is also available on the forum’s website at www.scotland.gov.uk/biodiversity .

Civil Servants

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce more openness into the advice given by civil servants to ministers and whether it will seek to amend the 30-year rule and, if so, whether advice should be published in a shorter period and what that period should be.

Tavish Scott: Once the Freedom of Information Act (Scotland) 2002 is fully implemented in January 2005, the 30-year rule will no longer apply. Each request for information will thereafter be considered on an individual basis and within the framework provided by the act.

Civil Servants

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its civil servants have been (a) seconded from, (b) transferred from, (c) seconded to and (d) transferred to other UK departments in each year since 1999.

Mr Andy Kerr: The number of staff who have moved between the Scottish Executive and other government departments is set out in the following table.

  A move on a temporary basis to another Government organisation operating a Civil Service pension scheme is defined as a loan rather than a secondment. The figures therefore provided in reply to parts (a) and (c) of the question relate to loans to other government departments.

  Number of Civil Servants who have Moved Between the Scottish Executive and other Government Departments since January 1999

  

 Year

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)


Outward Loans
Outward Transfers
Inward Loans
Inward Transfers


1999
57*
32
4
89


2000
25
25
3
45


2001
16
27
4
67


2002
19
52
5
71


2003
10
53
9
71


2004 (to Aug)
13
64
4
16



  Note: *This figure includes Executive staff seconded to the Scottish Parliament when it was first established.

Education

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what role Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education has in assessing teaching standards.

Peter Peacock: The Standard for Full Registration, the teaching standard that must be achieved by probationer teachers before they can be fully registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland, resulted from collaboration between the council and the Scottish Executive. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education were also closely involved in the development of the standard.

Fire Service

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive why a reduction in fire control centres will lead to the improvement of fire services.

Hugh Henry: The case for a reduction in the number of emergency fire control rooms has been considered in a report by consultants Mott MacDonald, commissioned by the Scottish Executive. The report recommended a reduction in the number of control rooms, from the present eight to one, two or three, on the basis that those options would provide a more cost-effective service than retaining eight control rooms. In reaching this conclusion, the report considered a number of factors including the impact on service delivery, organisational development, staffing and other costs. In addition, the report highlighted the advantage of larger control rooms in dealing with major incidents and responding to the threat from terrorism.

  We issued the report for consultation on 8 July and asked for responses by the end of August. We are currently considering the responses we have received and we will be making an announcement in due course. At this stage, no final decision has been taken on the recommendations in the report.

Fuel Poverty

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide assistance to people in poverty as a result of increased fuel costs.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The Executive has a range of policies in place to help people in poverty and works in conjunction with the UK Government. More specifically, the central heating programme, the Warm Deal and the Winter Fuel Payment will help people in poverty mitigate against increased fuel costs.

Fuel Poverty

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to address any increase in people in fuel poverty as a result of rising energy prices.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: We continue to work on the three causes of fuel poverty, namely poor household energy efficiency, income maximisation and the cost of fuel. We are not complacent and have previously expressed our concerns to the main fuel suppliers.

Housing

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new homes have been financed by Communities Scotland, expressed as a percentage of the estimated overall demand in each local authority area.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to reply. Her response is as follows:

  Working in close partnership with its key stakeholders, including local authorities, RSLs and other agencies, Communities Scotland bases its investment decisions on a combination of assessments in respect of the need for new housing supply, replacing poor quality housing stock and making provision for housing for particular needs. There is no single measure which encompasses the demand from these separate pressures.

  The following table sets out the total number of housing approvals issued by Communities Scotland since 2001-02 until 2003-04, although it should be noted that Communities Scotland came into being in November 2001.

  

 
Approvals
2001-02 to 2003-04


Aberdeen City 
457


Aberdeenshire 
723


Angus 
299


Argyll and Bute 
238


Clackmannanshire 
105


Dumfries and Galloway 
348


Dundee City 
759


East Ayrshire 
76


East Dunbartonshire 
27


East Lothian 
197


East Renfrewshire 
79


City Of Edinburgh 
1,112


Falkirk 
82


Fife 
698


Glasgow City 
4,600


Highland 
696


Inverclyde 
447


Midlothian 
60


Moray 
106


North Ayrshire 
276


North Lanarkshire 
941


Orkney Islands 
195


Perth and Kinross 
482


Renfrewshire 
898


Scottish Borders 
198


Shetland Islands 
85


South Ayrshire 
235


South Lanarkshire 
956


Stirling 
208


West Dunbartonshire 
442


West Lothian 
260


Western Isles 
102


Scotland 
16,387

Meat Industry

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the number of rural abattoirs.

Ross Finnie: The establishment of abattoirs in rural or other areas is a commercial decision for independent operators. The Executive is not aware of any current plans to establish new abattoirs in rural areas.

Meat Industry

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available to establish small abattoirs in rural areas.

Ross Finnie: Grants are available on a competitive basis under the Agriculture Processing and Marketing Grant Scheme towards the construction of new facilities, or the upgrading of existing facilities, as well as the purchase of plant and equipment. In certain circumstances assistance can also be made available towards the cost of feasibility studies and business plans. The establishment of abattoirs in rural or other areas is a commercial decision for independent operators, and grants can only be made available if the project is viable and meets the specific criteria of the scheme. Applications under the scheme are reviewed and subject to independent scrutiny.

Meat Industry

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available to help with the running costs of small abattoirs.

Ross Finnie: Current agriculture State Aid rules prohibit assistance being made available towards the running costs of abattoirs.

NHS Staff

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio of administration staff to the total number of beds was in the NHS in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the number of whole-time equivalent (WTE) administrative and clerical staff, expressed as a ratio of the average number of NHS hospital staffed beds. The figures for each NHS board area include staff employed in community health settings. The Scotland figures also include staff employed by Special Health Boards.

  The ratio is based on a comparison over the period from September 1994 to March 2004, between the number of whole time equivalent administrative and clerical staff, which increased from 17,758 to 21,541 to the average number of available staffed beds in Scotland, which decreased from 42,340 to 28,879.

  The decrease in the number of beds over this period reflects the shift towards providing patient care within the community. New treatments and procedures are allowing patients, who may have previously been treated in the acute sector, to be treated as day cases, out-patients or within primary care settings.

  Administrative staff are defined as comprising all administrative clerical staff in Whitley Grades 1-10 (for example ward receptionists, ambulance control staff, medical secretaries, clinical support staff, payroll staff and medical records staff). These staff are vital to the successful delivery of modern healthcare in a range of settings by multidisciplinary teams. They ensure that clinical and nursing staff alike are free to spend as much time as possible on what they are trained to deliver - direct patient care.

  Ratio of WTE Administrative Staff1 per Average Staffed Bed2

  

  
At 30th September
At 31 March


1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004


Scotland3
0.42
0.43
0.43
0.45
0.47
0.50
0.54
0.59
0.66
0.72
0.75


Argyll and Clyde
0.39
0.36
0.35
0.34
0.37
0.38
0.40
0.44
0.49
0.53
0.58


Ayrshire and Arran
0.33
0.37
0.37
0.38
0.41
0.41
0.44
0.48
0.53
0.59
0.63


Borders
0.38
0.40
0.39
0.38
0.39
0.47
0.48
0.48
0.56
0.55
0.55


Dumfries and Galloway
0.37
0.42
0.42
0.42
0.40
0.45
0.56
0.62
0.67
0.65
0.71


Fife
0.38
0.38
0.38
0.39
0.41
0.44
0.45
0.51
0.56
0.60
0.60


Forth Valley
0.28
0.30
0.30
0.31
0.33
0.34
0.40
0.44
0.51
0.59
0.60


Grampian
0.36
0.36
0.34
0.35
0.35
0.38
0.41
0.45
0.46
0.49
0.49


Greater Glasgow
0.44
0.46
0.48
0.49
0.51
0.53
0.55
0.62
0.70
0.73
0.76


Highland
0.36
0.39
0.40
0.40
0.43
0.45
0.49
0.51
0.58
0.64
0.67


Lanarkshire
0.31
0.34
0.35
0.37
0.38
0.39
0.41
0.48
0.54
0.57
0.58


Lothian
0.41
0.43
0.44
0.47
0.50
0.52
0.55
0.55
0.56
0.63
0.65


Orkney
0.21
0.23
0.24
0.25
0.30
0.39
0.46
0.59
0.66
0.70
0.72


Shetland
0.41
0.44
0.46
0.56
0.65
0.65
0.66
0.73
0.84
0.85
0.89


Tayside
0.37
0.39
0.38
0.42
0.45
0.47
0.51
0.59
0.61
0.69
0.71


Western Isles
0.29
0.27
0.31
0.31
0.32
0.36
0.38
0.44
0.48
0.49
0.50



  Notes:

  1 At 30 September each year except 2004 which is at 31 March – all staff in Administration and Clerical (A and C) grades.

  2 Average staffed beds during year 30 Sept 1994-2003 and ending 31 March 2004.

  3 Includes Special Health Boards.

  Part of the increase since 1997 can be attributed to a reclassification of some staff on "senior managers" grades to "administrative and clerical" grades.

  Trends in "senior managers" and "administrative and clerical" grades are show on table G1 on the Scottish Health Statistics web page at http://www.isdscotland.org/.

NHS Staff

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio of administration staff to the total number of whole-time equivalent nurses was in the NHS in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the ratio of whole-time equivalent (WTE) administrative staff to qualified WTE Nursing and Midwifery staff at 30 September 1994-2003 and at 31 March 2004.

  The ratio is based on a comparison over the period from September 1994 to March 2004, between the number of WTE administration staff, which increased from 17,758 to 21,541, to the number of qualified WTE nursing and midwifery staff, which increased from 35,270 to 39,037.

  New figures published by Information Services Division on 12 August show that numbers of nursing and midwifery staff are at their highest level since reporting began ten years ago. The number of people training as nurses and midwives has also increased to an all time high of 8,986, an increase of three per cent over the last year and more than 35 per cent more than in 1997. Incentives such as more flexible working and the Return to Practice initiative, which has already attracted over 400 nurses to the profession, have combined to make these professions even more attractive and this is reflected in these new figures.

  Administrative staff are defined as comprising all administrative clerical staff in Whitley Grades 1-10 (for example ward receptionists, ambulance control staff, medical secretaries, clinical support staff, payroll staff and medical records staff). These staff are vital to the successful delivery of modern healthcare in a range of settings by multidisciplinary teams. They ensure that clinical and nursing staff alike are free to spend as much time as possible on what they are trained to deliver - direct patient care.

  Ratio of Administrative staff 1 to Qualified Nurses2

  

  
Whole Time Equivalent at 30 September
At 31 March


1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004


Scotland3
0.50
0.50
0.47
0.47
0.47
0.47
0.48
0.50
0.53
0.55
0.55


Argyll and Clyde 
0.54
0.50
0.48
0.46
0.47
0.46
0.48
0.50
0.52
0.52
0.51


Ayrshire and Arran 
0.42
0.43
0.40
0.39
0.40
0.40
0.42
0.43
0.46
0.49
0.51


Borders 
0.43
0.44
0.41
0.39
0.38
0.42
0.41
0.42
0.46
0.45
0.44


Dumfries and Galloway 
0.42
0.44
0.40
0.41
0.40
0.40
0.42
0.44
0.45
0.45
0.47


Fife 
0.43
0.41
0.40
0.41
0.41
0.39
0.39
0.41
0.43
0.45
0.45


Forth Valley 
0.38
0.40
0.38
0.37
0.37
0.36
0.39
0.41
0.46
0.47
0.47


Grampian 
0.47
0.45
0.41
0.40
0.39
0.38
0.40
0.40
0.41
0.41
0.41


Greater Glasgow 
0.52
0.52
0.51
0.49
0.49
0.48
0.47
0.50
0.52
0.53
0.53


Highland 
0.40
0.41
0.39
0.39
0.40
0.42
0.42
0.42
0.44
0.47
0.48


Lanarkshire 
0.39
0.40
0.40
0.41
0.41
0.40
0.41
0.43
0.46
0.48
0.48


Lothian 
0.49
0.49
0.47
0.46
0.46
0.44
0.44
0.44
0.44
0.47
0.47


Orkney 
0.19
0.20
0.22
0.24
0.26
0.29
0.30
0.38
0.42
0.44
0.45


Shetland 
0.32
0.35
0.39
0.41
0.41
0.43
0.42
0.44
0.52
0.50
0.54


Tayside 
0.40
0.41
0.38
0.39
0.40
0.42
0.43
0.45
0.46
0.48
0.49


Western Isles 
0.30
0.28
0.31
0.35
0.34
0.36
0.38
0.38
0.40
0.41
0.42



  Notes:

  1 All staff in Administration and Clerical (A and C) grades at 30 September each year except for 2004 which is at 31 March.

  2 Excludes agency, bank and unqualified nursing and midwifery staff.

  3 Includes Special Health Boards.

  Part of the increase since 1997 can be attributed to a reclassification of some staff on "senior managers" grades to "administrative and clerical" grades.

  Trends in "senior managers" and "administrative and clerical" grades are shown on table G1 on the Scottish Health Statistics web page at http://www.isdscotland.org/.

NHS Staff

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio of administration staff to the total number of whole-time equivalent doctors was in the NHS in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the ratio of whole-time equivalent (WTE) administrative staff to WTE NHS Hospital and Community (HCHS) doctors at 30 September 1994-2003.

  The ratio is based on a comparison over the period from September 1994 to September 2003 between the number of WTE administration staff (which increased from 17,758 to 20,960), to the number of WTE doctors (which increased from 7,105 in 1994 to 9,268 in 2003).

  Administrative staff are defined as comprising all administrative clerical staff in Whitley Grades 1-10 (for example ward receptionists, ambulance control staff, medical secretaries, clinical support staff, payroll staff and medical records staff). These staff are vital to the successful delivery of modern healthcare in a range of settings by multidisciplinary teams. They ensure that clinical and nursing staff alike are free to spend as much time as possible on what they are trained to deliver - direct patient care.

  Ratio of Administrative Staff1 to Doctors2

  Whole-Time Equivalent at 30 September

  

  
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003


Scotland 3
2.50
2.41
2.21
2.08
2.08
2.07
2.11
2.16
2.17
2.26


Argyll and Clyde  
3.26
2.91
2.70
2.46
2.51
2.45
2.48
2.67
2.67
2.61


Ayrshire and Arran 
2.40
2.48
2.16
2.11
2.14
2.17
2.23
2.38
2.41
2.62


Borders
3.03
3.16
2.97
2.51
2.55
2.64
2.56
2.47
2.47
2.40


Dumfries and Galloway 
2.78
2.87
2.69
2.51
2.51
2.37
2.50
2.68
2.49
2.57


Fife
3.08
2.90
2.63
2.43
2.38
2.39
2.34
2.38
2.51
2.55


Forth Valley  
2.64
2.57
2.36
2.08
2.03
2.03
2.18
2.22
2.21
2.24


Grampian   
2.30
2.17
1.90
1.66
1.57
1.59
1.62
1.52
1.43
1.49


Greater Glasgow  
1.92
1.89
1.74
1.67
1.64
1.58
1.60
1.65
1.65
1.69


Highland   
2.49
2.52
2.23
2.09
2.13
2.13
2.20
2.26
2.10
2.54


Lanarkshire   
2.25
2.37
2.33
2.24
2.13
2.04
2.01
2.12
2.10
2.16


Lothian
2.01
1.90
1.74
1.65
1.67
1.65
1.66
1.65
1.63
1.67


Orkney
3.46
3.99
3.34
3.47
3.52
2.52
3.06
4.09
3.36
3.37


Shetland   
3.72
3.29
4.96
5.40
3.76
4.83
3.76
3.94
4.38
3.94


Tayside
2.09
2.10
1.91
1.92
1.95
1.83
1.91
1.93
1.84
1.92


Western Isles  
3.03
2.78
2.73
3.12
2.91
3.08
3.23
3.01
3.37
3.49



  Source: ISD Scotland

  Notes:

  1 At 30 September each year - all staff in administration and clerical (A and C) grades.

  2 Doctors includes all hospital and community medical and dental staff (including consultants, doctors in training etc)

  3 Includes Special Health Boards.

  Part of the increase since 1997 can be attributed to a reclassification of some staff on "senior managers" grades to "administrative and clerical" grades.

  Trends in "senior managers" and "administrative and clerical" grades are show on table G1 on the Scottish Health Statistics web page at http://www.isdscotland.org/.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the shortlist of possible locations being considered for the relocation of (a) the Scottish Arts Council, (b) NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, (c) NHS Health Scotland and (d) NHS Education for Scotland.

Tavish Scott: The Executive has not routinely published shortlists of possible locations being considered in relocation reviews. However, that practice is now being reviewed as part of our commitment to transparency.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the outcome of the review on the relocation of (a)  sportscotland, (b) the Mental Welfare Commission, (c) the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding councils and (d) the Royal Fine Arts Commission for Scotland.

Tavish Scott: Decisions are expected during 2004 on the reviews of sports cotland, The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Councils and Architecture and Design Scotland (formerly the Royal fine Arts Commission for Scotland).

  The decision on the location of the Mental Welfare Commission is expected in 2005.

Parliamentary Questions

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its policy in regard to the provision of substantive answers to written parliamentary questions is to provide complete and direct answers to the questions asked.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: Questions are considered very carefully with the aim of providing substantive and indeed helpful answers to the points raised. To a large extent the relevance of the answer depends on the clarity of the question.

Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions have taken place under the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 in each year since it came into force, broken down by sheriff court.

Colin Boyd QC: The Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 does not create any criminal offences and there can therefore be no prosecutions under this legislation .

Rail Network

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who has planning competence over Network Rail in relation to their permitted development rights, which allow the rollout of Global System for Mobile Telecommunications (GSM-R) masts in excess of 15 metres in the Strathclyde area.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the question S2W-10263 from Robert Brown MSP answered on 16 September 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

Rail Network

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations have been made to the Strategic Rail Authority regarding the future of cross-country rail services in Scotland.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the future of cross-country rail services in Scotland.

Rail Network

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations have been made to the Department for Transport regarding the future of the cross-country rail franchise.

Nicol Stephen: The Strategic Rail Authority is responsible for the cross-country rail franchise. The Scottish Executive is in regular discussion with the UK Government on a wide range of issues.

Rail Network

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with trade unions representing workers based in Scotland who are employed on cross-country rail services.

Nicol Stephen: The Strategic Rail Authority are responsible for the cross-country rail franchise. The Scottish Executive has not had any discussions with trade unions representing workers based in Scotland.

Rail Network

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive where responsibility will lie for ensuring the continuation of cross-border rail services on cross-country and east coast mainline routes when Transport Scotland is established.

Nicol Stephen: Lead responsibility for setting the specification for cross-border rail franchises will lie with the UK Government. Scottish ministers will continue to be able to offer advice to the UK Government on these services.

Roads

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects work to be (a) started and (b) completed on the new access and egress roads for the M876 at Bellsdyke, Larbert.

Nicol Stephen: The programme for the proposed slip roads on the M876 at Larbert will depend on the outcome of the Public Local Inquiry which is planned for later this year. Subject to a successful outcome, construction work could start during 2005-06 with a construction period of around seven months.

Sectarianism

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has established the operational co-ordination group, as referred to in recommendation 10 of Tackling Religious Hatred – Update on the recommendations of the cross-party working group on religious hatred , and, if so, who the members of the group are and, if the group has not been established, what the reasons are for any delay.

Margaret Curran: The proposals for this group were made as part of the Executive’s broader strategy on tackling sectarianism and religious intolerance. An officials group has already been established to co-ordinate the work that the Executive is taking forward in this area. An ad-hoc group, which allows voluntary and local groups who are working in this area to input their views, has also been established. The remit, scope and membership of the operational co-ordination group are currently being considered and I will write to Donald Gorrie with full details about decisions on the group in due course.

Teachers

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific teaching qualifications are expected to be held by teaching staff working for organisations providing statutory educational services to under-16s.

Peter Peacock: Teachers in education authority schools are required to hold either a Teaching Qualification (Secondary Education) or a Teaching Qualification (Primary Education). Where education authorities arrange for organisations to provide statutory educational services outwith education authority schools, it is for authorities to be satisfied that teaching staff are suitably qualified.

Teachers

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific teaching qualifications are expected to be held by teaching staff working for organisations providing non-statutory educational services to under-16s.

Peter Peacock: Teachers in education authority schools are required to hold either a Teaching Qualification (Secondary Education) or a Teaching Qualification (Primary Education). Where education authorities arrange for organisations to provide non-statutory educational services outwith education authority schools, it is for authorities to be satisfied that teaching staff are suitably qualified.

Teachers

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific teaching qualifications are expected to be held by teaching staff in organisations providing educational services to children being "looked after" by local authorities.

Peter Peacock: Teachers in education authority schools are required to hold either a Teaching Qualification (Secondary Education) or a Teaching Qualification (Primary Education). Where education authorities arrange for organisations to provide educational services outwith education authority schools, it is for authorities to be satisfied that teaching staff are suitably qualified.

Teachers

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what qualifications require to be held by staff in order to teach subjects in local authority schools.

Peter Peacock: All teachers in education authority schools must hold a Teaching Qualification (Secondary Education) or a Teaching Qualification (Primary Education).

Teachers

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what qualifications require to be held by staff in order to teach subjects in care establishments.

Peter Peacock: Teachers in education authority schools are required to hold either a Teaching Qualification (Secondary Education) or a Teaching Qualification (Primary Education). Where education authorities arrange for children to be taught in care establishments, it is for authorities to be satisfied that teaching staff are suitably qualified.

Teachers

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to ensure that all teaching staff are properly accredited with relevant teaching qualifications.

Peter Peacock: Teachers in education authority schools are required to be registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland. The council will only register people who hold relevant teaching qualifications.

Teachers

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what role Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education has in assessing teachers’ accreditation.

Peter Peacock: None. The General Teaching Council for Scotland is responsible for maintaining a register of qualified teachers and for assessing people’s entitlement to be included in the register.

Teachers

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what role Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education has in validating teachers’ qualifications.

Peter Peacock: None. Universities that deliver courses of initial teacher education are responsible for the internal validation of their courses. Thereafter such courses must be accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland and approved by the Scottish ministers before they can be delivered.

Teachers

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care has in validating the qualifications of teaching staff.

Peter Peacock: Teachers in education authority schools are required to hold either a Teaching Qualification (Secondary Education) or a Teaching Qualification (Primary Education). The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care has no role in the validation, accreditation or approval of these qualifications.

Tourism

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to improve the service offered by VisitScotland to potential customers.

Mr Frank McAveety: VisitScotland provides a wide range of services to visitors and tourism businesses as it strives to position Scotland as a must-visit, must-return destination. These services range from national and local marketing through a range of quality assurance schemes to working with businesses on product development and packaging. The budget available to VisitScotland to do these things has more than doubled over the past 10 years and the services now being provided are generally appreciated by those in the industry. However, we cannot be complacent, and that is why earlier this year, I announced additional funding totalling £20 million, over three years, for VisitScotland to strengthen its marketing, including attracting more private sector match funding, as well as to broaden and deepen its quality assurance work. In addition, the implementation of the integrated tourism network for Scotland will enhance the service that our visitors receive when they come to Scotland, and the support available to tourism businesses throughout the country.

Waste Management

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-466 by Ross Finnie of 10 June 2003, how many prosecutions there have been for litter and fly tipping offences in (a) 2002, (b) 2003 and (c) 2004 to date, broken down by local authority.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the table. The data for 2003 and 2004 have not yet been published; 2003 data are expected to be published towards the end of 2004.

  Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts where the Main Offence was a Litter Offence1,2, by Local Authority, 2002

  

Local Authority
2002


City of Edinburgh
1


Dundee City 
8


East Ayrshire 
1


East Dunbartonshire
2


Glasgow City 
2


Highland 
1


Inverclyde 
3


North Ayrshire 
1


North Lanarkshire 
1


Renfrewshire 
1


Scottish Borders 
1


South Ayrshire 
1


South Lanarkshire 
7


Stirling 
2


Total
31



  Notes:

  1. Offences categorised as litter offences under the Scottish Executive Justice Department’s classification of crimes and offences.

  2. Figures may be underestimates due to time taken to record details of some court proceedings in SCRO system.

Correction

The reply to question S2W-9238, which was originally answered on 21 July 2004, has been corrected: see page 3159 or http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/pqa/wa-04/wa0928.htm.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Live Testing

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many MSPs’ staff were invited to participate in the live testing of facilities at Holyrood.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body have supplied the following corrected answer:

George Reid: None. In April, an email calling for volunteers for live testing was issued in error to all users of the Parliamentary network. As it was always our intention to confine the call to the Scottish Parliamentary Staff Organisation, it was quickly recalled and re-issued accordingly. In the intervening period five staff of MSPs had volunteered. Most of those staff were informed of the error and thanked for their interest.

Correction

The reply to question S2W-10102, which was originally answered on 8 September 2004, has been corrected: see page 3222 or http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/pqa/wa-04/wa1001.htm.